Machine for assembling and/or disassembling the parts of spring tensioned devices



sEMBLlNG Timy PARTS ICES,

A. J. TAYLOR ISAS ONED

June 16,

ND/OR- D TENSI Nov 2 Sheets-Sheet l MS@ f7? k MNI NW N uw vm KNX w@ ybm, 90 @mi Wm.. MN. K 0% ww NNN WMM oeh, Ww. m6 @W MNH. WN 4 l NW. P E@9v NN June 16, 1942. 'd

J TAYLOR MACHINE FOR AssEMBLING An/0HA DIsAssEMBLING -THE PARTS oFSPRING TENSIONED DEVICES Filed Nov. 2o. 1940 2 Sheets-Shea?l 2 My24a/awo,

i Patented June 16, 1942 UNITEDV STATES PATENT oFFlcs MACHINE FORASSEMBLING AND/B DIS- ASSEMBLING THE PARTS 0F SPRING TEN- SIONED DEVICESAsa J. Taylor, River Forest, A Application November 20,1941, serial N6.366,457

(ci. zia-s` 6.3)

4 Claims.

My invention relates to machines for assembling into tensioned conditionthe parts of spring tensioned assemblies and more i particularly, thoughnot exclusively, the parts of spring tensionedl valve assemblies forinternal combustion engines wherein the valves, in the normal operativecondition of the engine, are yieldingly urged to seated position by thesprings of the valve assemblies, and in order that the assemblies may beinstalled in position in the engine, with the maximum of ease andrapidity and without danger of injury to the workmen or the engine,requires that the parts of the assemblies be abnormally relativelypositioned and under excess spring tension and so held by removableabutments or retainers applied to the valve-stems of the valveassemblies which, after installation of the valve assemblies in theengine, may be rea d ily removed to relieve the excess tension andpermit the parts of the valve assemblies to assume the relativepositions desired for the normal functioning of the valves.

It also relates to a machine by which the parts of such an assembly maybe disassembled upon removal from the engine with the spring placedunder excess spring tension and the removable abutment or stop replacedto hold the spring in this condition.

My objects are to provide a novel, simple and inexpensive constructionof machine for assembling and/or disassembling the parts of springtensioned structures and more particularly valve assemblies as abovereferred to, with the parts thereof abnormally relatively positioned andunder excess tension to be relieved upon securing the valve assembliesin position in the engine or in disassembling the parts of the assembly;to provide a machine by which the assembling or disassembling operationmay be quickly and easily performed; and other objects as will be,manifest from the following description.

As a preface to the following description of the drawings it may bestated that I have chosen to illustrate my invention as embodied in aconstruction suitable for assembling and/or disassembling the parts ofvalve assemblies of a well known type and currently used in the enginesof Ford automobiles, wherein the bushing in which the valve stem slidescarries a removable and replaceable stirrup bracket mounted in aperipheral groove in the bushing and extending laterally beyond theouter surface of the bushing for abutting the inner surface of theengine block, and a` coil spring, interposed between the bushing and aspring retainer on the end of the stem opposite that equipped with thevalve, serves to yieldingly force the valve against the seat in theengine port with which it is to cooperate and force the valve stemintothe pathof the cooperating plunger actuated by the valve-` operatingcam shaftof the engine.

To permit the valve assembly to be easily installed in place in theengine and be easily removed therefrom, it is desirable that, prior toinserting the valve assembly into the engine block and prior to itsremoval therefrom, the bushing be shifted on the stem, out of normalposition away from the valve and against the resistance of the spring,so that the distance from the stirrup-bracket-receiving groove in thebushing to the inner extremity of the valve stem is less than thedistance from the inner surface of the engine block. at thevalve-assembly-receiving opening to the cam-actuated plunger, therebycausing the spring of the yassembly to be compressed in excess of thetension required in the normal operating condition of the assembly; and

to hold the stem, and bushing thus abnormally positioned and the springthus abnormally conditioned, until the valve assembly has been insertedinto the engine block and the stirrup bracket applied to the bushing, asby means of a removable abutment or retainer such as that abovementioned applied to the valve stem of the valve assembly, and, when thevalve assembly is to be removed from the engine, to again establish theabnormal positioning of the stem and bushing and the abnormalconditioning of the spring as above referred to, prior tothedisconnecting of said stirrup bracket from 4the bushing and maintainsuch abnormal positioning and conditioning of the parts of the valveassembly in the removal of the valve assembly from the engine by againapplying said removable abutment or retainer to position on the stem inthe valve assembly.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional-view of the engine block of acurrent Ford internal combustion engine, the section being taken throughone of the ports and showing positioned therein a valve assembly abovedescribed, as conditioned by a machine embodying my invention and inwhich the stem and bushing are abnormally positioned and the spring forthe valve is placed under excess compression and retained in suchcondition by a removable abutment or retainer.

Figure 2 is a view in side velevation of the machine showing the partsthereof in'normal condition, namely, the condition in which the parts ofthe valve assembly are applied thereto.

Figure 3 is a view in longitudinal elevation of the machine, the sectionbeing taken at the line 3 on Fig. 5 and viewed in the direction of thearrow.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the machine, the sectionbeing taken at the line 4 on Fig. 3 and viewed in the direction of thearrow.'

Figure'5 is a plan view of the machine in normal condition.

Figure 6 is a view of the machine in side elevation showing thepositions assumed by the parts thereof when the machine is operated tocompress the spring of the valve assembly from one end, a springretainer to be assembled with the stem of the valve assembly being shownin related position to the other parts of the assembly but separatedtherefrom.

Figure 1 is a similar view showing the positions assumed by the parts ofthe machine when the machine is operated to compress the spring of thevalve assembly from the other end, a removable abutment or retainingdevice for holding the parts in the position to which they are operatedbeing shown in related position to the other parts of the assembly, butseparated therefrom.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary end view of the structure shown in Fig. '1,viewing it from the left in this gure.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the similar cradles formingparts of the machine; and

Figure 10, an end view of the removable abutment or retainer referred toin vthe above description of Fig. 7.

In order that a better understandingl of the use of the particularmachine shown may be had, the description thereof is prefaced, asfollows, by a description of the illustrated valve assembly and theprocedure for installing itin an engine block as shown in Fig. 1.

In this figure the engine block, from which the cover has been removedto expose the opening I I into the interior of the block, is representedat I2 and one of its ports at I3 which is in line with abushing-receiving opening I4 in the block in line with the plunger I5 bywhich the valve for this port is to be operated by the cam shaft of theengine.

The valve assembly which is to be installed at the port I3 comprises avalve stem I6 having a valve head I1 which closes downwardly against aseat I8 surrounding the port I3, the stem I6 having a flange I9 adjacentthe head I1 and an erates to clamp the device 25 between the flange I9and the bushing 2 I; the device 25 being formed with a handle portion 21which, in the installed position of the valve assembly in the engine,ex-

expanded portion 28 at its opposite end; a bushing v2| shown as formedof two similar halves, surrounding, and slidable on, the stem I8 belowthe flange I9; a coil spring 22, under compression, between the bushing2| andthe expanded end 2,8 of the stem; and a spring retainer 23 ofgeneral yoke form straddling the stem I6 at its lower end and interposedbetween the expanded end 28 of the stem and the spring 22, the springretainer 23 having diametrically opposed vertical straight edges 24.

As thenal act in the assembling of the parts of the valve assembly, thebushing 2| is forced away'from the flange I9 substantially to theposition shown in Fig. l and in this position a removable abutment orretainer device 25 is applied, at a yoke portion 28 thereof, tostraddling position on the stem I5 between the flange I9 and the bushing2I, the device 26 being held in place on the valve assembly by thespring 22 which optends outwardly through the port I3 beyond which it isaccessible for removal, upon applying force to the valve stem, as forexample at its lower end, as by means of any suitable hand tool,..

such as a lever bar, to relieve the clamping action against the device25 thereby permitting of its ready separation from the valve assembly,the valve head I1, upon the removal of the device 25 through the port I3and discontinuing the manual pressure exerted against the stem I8 asstated, becoming automatically seated in the port I3, thereby assumingthe proper operating position.

The valve assembly is held in place in the engine block by a removableand replaceable stirrup bracket 28 mounted at its stirrup portion 29 inan endless groove 38 in the periphery of the bushing 2| and extendinglaterally beyond this bushing, the bracket 28 seating at its stirrupportion A29 in a counterbore 3| in the inner surface of the engine blockand surrounding the opening I4, under the pressure of the spring 22, thevalve stem I6 being held against the plunger I5 by this spring.

The abnormal positioning of the parts of the valve assembly as shown inFig. l permits of the inserting of thevalve assembly into the engineblock to a position in which the groove 38 in the bushing 2I extendsinwardly beyond the inner surface .of the vengine block and thus permitsof the ready application of the stirrup bracket 28 to the bushing,without interference from any spring tensioned part; in other words, thedistance from the lower end of the stem I6 to the groove 38 is notgreater than the distance from the plunger I5 to the inner surface ofthe engine block at the opening I4 and thus no further compressing ofthe spring 22 is necessary to apply the stirrup bracket 28 to thebushing 2|.

'I'he particular machine shown comprises a base member 32 havingupwardly extending end lugs 33 and 34,-a pair of side uprights 35between the ends of the base member and connected together by a crossmember 36 extending crosswise of the base member and having an upwardlyopening pocket 31; and a rod 38 extending lengthwise of the base portion32 and mounted in the lugs 33 and 34. 1

Movable lengthwise on the base 'member 32 is a slide 39 having uprights48'and 4I at its opposite ends, the upright 48 being of channel form.The rod 38 extends through openings 42 and 43 in the uprights 48 and 4Iandserves to guide the slide 39 in its movements.

Located above the slide 39 is a second slide 44 extending lengthwise ofthe slide 39 and having uprights 45 and 46 at its opposite ends, theuprights 45 and 46 being connected Atogether by side platelike portions41 and located between the uprights 48 and 4I. The rod 38 extendsthrough openings 48 and 49 in the uprights 45 and 48, respectively, andserves as a means for guiding the slide 44 in its movements.

A coil spring 58 encircles the rod 38 between the uprights 48 and 45 andyieldingly urges the slides 39 and 44 in opposite directions.

The uprights 48 and 45 are provided with saddle portions to coact withcertain of the parts which are to form the valve assembly. Inasmuch asvalve assemblies of this type are made in two different sizes thesesaddles are provided as parts of like shape and size and separate fromthe uprights 40 and 45, being adapted in one position of the saddles,namely, the position shown in the drawings, to be used in the assemblingof the parts of the larger size of valve assembly and when manipulatedinto another position to be used in the assembling of the parts of thesmaller size valve assembly.

The saddle forming portions referred toI are represented at and 52,being shown as in the form of channels the upper and lower ends of thewebs 53 and 54 of which are recessed as represented at 55, 56, 51 and56, to form saddle portions of dilerent sizes, presenting verticalinwardly extending abutment-forming flanges 59, 60, 6I and 62, therecesses 55 and 51 for the larger size of valve assembly being widerthan those for the small size valve assembly. The saddle formingportions, for use in assembling the parts of the larger size of valveassemblies, are positioned with their wider recesses 55 and 51 uppermostand bear at their webs 53 and 54 against the uprights 40 and 45,respectively, to which they are clamped as by means of angle clampplates 63 held against the flanges 64 and 65 cf the saddle formingportions 5I and 52, respectively, by means of clamp screws 66; and forthe smaller size of valve assemblies being positioned in invertedposition with their narrower saddle forming recesses 56 and 58 uppermostand bearing at their flanges 64 and 65 against the uprights 40 and 45,respectively.

The machine shown' comprises means for flrst actuating the slide 39 tothe right in Figs. 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, while the slide 44 is held againstmovement and thereafter actuating the slide 44 to the left in thesefigures of the drawings, while holding the slide 39 against movement,these means being shown as comprising a shaft 61 journaled in theuprights 35 to extend crosswise of the machine and carrying a block 68extending laterally of the shaft and forming a cam, interposed betweenthe uprights 4| and 46 of the slides 39 and 44, the shaft 61 having anoperating handle 69 rigid therewith at one end; it being noted that thespring 50 serves to yieldingly hold the uprights 4I and 46 against thecam device 68.

To assemble the parts of the particular valve assembly shown, the valvestem 26, with the bushing 2| and coil spring 22 positioned thereon asshown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, is applied downwardly to the machine toposition the valve head I1 in the pocket 31, and position theabutment-forming portions 6I in the groove 51 of the bushing 2|, theouter end of the coil spring 22 in this position of the parts, extendingwithin the saddle-forming portion 5I and adjacent the abutment formingflanges 59 thereof whic lap this end of the spring.

The first operation is to compress the spring 22 to permit the springretainer 23 to be applied to the stem I6 of the valve to serve as anabutment for the spring 22 in compressed condition. This is eiected byswinging the handle 69 to the right in Fig. 2 which causes the cam 68 tomove against the upright 4| of the slide 39, thereby shifting the slide39 to the right to the position shown in Fig. 6, the slide 44, andtherefore the bushing 2|, being held against movement by the engagementof the upright 46 with the cam block 68, the valve stem I6 being heldagainst accidental shifting by the interlock between the valve head I1and the walls of the pocket 31. By swinging the handle 69 to thehorizontal position shown in Fig. 8 the several parts are releasablylocked in the positions to which they are operated as stated.

The operator then drops the spring retainer over the valve stem I6between its expanded portion 20 and the saddle portion 5I, sliding italong the stem to the right in which it becomes entered, at its straightedges 24, between lthe vertical abutment forming flanges 59.

The operator then reversely actuates the handle 69, swinging it fromVthe position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. '7. In thismovement of the handle the cam 66 swings from the position shown in Fig.6 to the position shown in Fig. 7 and in so moving forces the slide 44,and with it the bushing 2|, to the left to compress the spring 22 lasshown in Fig. 7, the slidev 39 being held against movement with the.slide 44 by the engagement of the upright 4I with the cam block and thevalve stem I6 being held against accidental shifting by the engagementof its valve head I1 with the walls of the pocket 31, the bushing 2| inthus compressing the spring becoming relatively widely spaced from theflange I9 on the stem I6.

The operator then applies the retainer device 25 to the valve stem I6between 'the bushing 2| and the flange I9, the device 25 becomingclamped between the bushing 2| and flange I9, in the expanding of thespring 22 to the position shown in Fig. 1 by the operator swinging thehandle 69 from the horizontal position shown in Fig. 7 to the normal,upright position shown in Fig. 2.

The valve assembly may then be readily lifted positioned thereonv asstated and the assembly installed in place in an engine block as abovedescribed. Y

When it is desired to disassemble the parts of the valve assembly,removed from the engine block with an abutment or retainer device 25 inposition on the valve assembly, the operator applies the valve assemblyto the machine to position the abutment-forming portions of thesaddleforming portion 52 in the groove 3| in the bushing 2|, the endofthe spring at the retainer 23 into lapping relation to theabutment-forming portions of the saddle-forming portion 5I, and thevalve head |1 in the pocket 21. 'I'he operator then swings the operatinghandle 69l to the left which relieves the clamping action against thedevice 25 and permits it to be removed, and then swings it to the rightto further compress the spring 22 which frees the retainer 23 forremoval from its position on the stem I6, whereupon the remaining partsof the valve assembly may be readily disassembled.

While I have illustrated and described a particular construction ofmachine embodying my invention I do not wish to be understood asintending to limit it thereto, as the machine shown may be variouslymodified and altered and the invention embodied in other forms ofstructure without departing from the spirit of the invention.Furthermore, while the invention has been illustrated and described asutilized for the assembling of the parts of a certain construction ofvalve assembly, I do not wish to be understood as intending to limit theinvention thereto as it may be utilized for the assembling of the partsof other spring tensioned assemblies and valve assemblies other than theparticular illustrated construction of valve assembly.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: y

1. A machine for the purpose set forth comprising a base having a,portion for engagement prising a base, a plurality of slidesindependently movable along said base, abutment-forming o membersseparate from said slides and carried thereby for a bushing slidable ona rod and for one end of a spring on said rod and bearing against saidbushing, respectively, said abutment-forming members being adapted atone end for cooperation with assemblies of one size and vat theiropposite end for association with assemblies of a different size andreversible on said slides to accommodate said different sizes ofassemblies, means for securing said members to saidslides in eitherposition of said members. and means operative to actuate said slides insuccession to compress said spring, first from one end thereof and thenfrom the other end thereof.

3,. A lmachine for the purpose set forth comprising a base, a pluralityof slides independently movable along said base, abutment-formingmembers of channel shape recessed at their opposite ends and separatefrom said slides and carried thereby, for a bushing slidable on a. rod

and for one end of a'spring on said rod and thereof.

ing against said member, respectively.

ASA J. TAYLOR.

